SR0574 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0574 LRB103 35143 ECR 65107 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to congratulate the Diocese of Springfield on the occasion of its centennial anniversary of the transfer of the diocese from Alton to Springfield; and

WHEREAS, On October 2, 1923, Pope Pius II translated the diocesan See from Alton to Springfield; the pope named James Aloysius Griffin, the pastor of St. Mary Nativity Catholic Church in Joliet, the bishop who would be responsible for moving the chancery from Alton to Springfield; he arrived in Springfield on February 28, 1924; and

WHEREAS, Bishop Griffin was installed as the bishop at St. Mary's Church, which served as the pro-cathedral of the diocese for the next four years; in 1927, he launched the Cathedral Campaign to raise money to replace the aging Cathedral building; and

WHEREAS, Bishop Griffin assisted Cardinal George Mundelein in planning and hosting the 28th International Eucharistic Congress in Chicago from June 24 to June 26, 1926, where hundreds of thousands of Catholics were in attendance; and

WHEREAS, After the congress, Bishop Griffin hosted several cardinals, archbishops, and bishops in Springfield for the Central Verein Convention on June 2, 1926, where he led attendees on a pilgrimage to the tomb of Abraham Lincoln; and

WHEREAS, Bishop Griffin dedicated and opened the newly constructed Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, with the dedication ceremonies taking place from October 14 to October 16, 1928; and

WHEREAS, From 1932 through 1937, during a labor dispute in Springfield known as the Coal Miner's War, Bishop Griffin attempted to negotiate fair wages for workers in the various mines throughout the diocese; and

WHEREAS, Bishop Griffin died on August 5, 1948, leading Pope Pius XII to appoint William Aloysius O'Connor to be the next bishop of Springfield on December 28, 1948; he arrived in the city on March 16, 1949; and

WHEREAS, After St. Anthony's Hospital in Effingham was destroyed by a fire on April 4, 1949, Bishop O'Connor oversaw the updating of hospitals and diocesan properties to prevent future fire disasters, establishing the Office of Insurance to assist in this endeavor; and

WHEREAS, In 1959, Bishop O'Connor was able to attend all four sessions of the ecumenical council, known as Vatican II; and

WHEREAS, In 1969, Bishop O'Connor established the Office for Worship and the Office for Catholic Education, the first of many curial agencies created to assist parishes and other Catholic institutions in the diocese; and

WHEREAS, On July 22, 1975, Bishop O'Connor submitted his retirement, and Pope Paul VI appointed Joseph A. McNicholas as the next bishop in Springfield; and

WHEREAS, Bishop McNicholas was a staunch civil rights advocate, and he was a leader in school desegregation and helped organize the Martin Luther King Day Breakfast; as a priest and auxiliary bishop in St. Louis, his assignments included serving on the Health & Welfare Council of St. Louis, the National Association of Social Workers, the Missouri Child Welfare Commission, and the National Office of Black Catholics; and

WHEREAS, In 1976, Bishop McNicholas implemented a diocesan-wide pro-life program in response to the 1973 Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision; and

WHEREAS, Bishop McNicholas' episcopacy was short lived when he died suddenly on April 17, 1983; his predecessor, Bishop O'Connor, died that same year on November 14, 1983; and

WHEREAS, Pope John Paul II appointed Daniel Ryan as the next bishop of the Diocese of Springfield, and he was installed on January 18, 1984; and

WHEREAS, In July 1995, facing a declining number of priests, Bishop Ryan oversaw the Parish Pastoral Plan, designed to study the status of parishes and priests across the diocese and offer solutions for long-term parish vitality; and

WHEREAS, On October 19, 1999, the Vatican announced the retirement of Bishop Ryan and the appointment of Bishop George J. Lucas as his successor; a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, he was the first appointee to be ordained as a bishop in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield; and

WHEREAS, Bishop Lucas launched the endowment campaign Harvest of Thanks-Springtime of Hope to ensure long-term viability of the diocese, including supporting the work of Catholic Charities, assisting in the formation of seminarians and deacon candidates, and providing aid for the care of retired priests of the diocese; and

WHEREAS, The Diocese of Springfield celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding with Jubilee 2003, an event that officially began on December 9, 2002; the diocese held a day long celebration at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, where an estimated 20,000 Catholics from all over the diocese attended on June 28, 2003; and

WHEREAS, In May 2007, Bishop Lucas initiated the Built on Faith-Renewed in Hope campaign to raise the $11 million dollars needed to restore the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception; and

WHEREAS, On July 22, 2009, Bishop Lucas was appointed the Archbishop of Omaha, becoming the first bishop of the Diocese of Springfield to be appointed to archbishop; and

WHEREAS, On April 20, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of the Archdiocese of Chicago as Bishop Lucas' successor, and he was installed as the ninth and current bishop of the Diocese of Springfield on June 22, 2010; and

WHEREAS, In 2017, Bishop Paprocki guided the diocese through the Fourth Diocesan Synod with the goal of convincing clergy and the laity to make a heartfelt commitment to stewardship and discipleship as a way of life; and

WHEREAS, Bishop Paprocki has made the connection between sports and faith as a focus of his ministry, writing two books, Holy Goals for Body and Soul: Eight Steps to Connect Sports with God and Faith and Running for a Higher Purpose: Eight Steps to Spiritual and Physical Fitness; and

WHEREAS, Bishop Paprocki currently serves as an adjunct professor of Law, Business, and Bioethics at Quincy University's Oakley School of Business; he also serves on the Illinois Catholic Health Association Board and as the chairman of the Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; and

WHEREAS, Thousands of Catholics from across the Diocese of Springfield will join Bishop Paprocki as he celebrates Mass at the first Eucharistic Congress at the Bank of Springfield Center in Springfield on October 28, 2023; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the Diocese of Springfield on the occasion of its centennial anniversary of the transfer of the diocese from Alton to Springfield, and we recognize the contributions bishops of the diocese have made to the community throughout the years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Diocese of Springfield as a symbol of our esteem and respect.